There were people who put up bigger numbers on each of their teams, but these three players had the big fourth quarters that got their teams the win Tuesday night. So yes, that means guys like Kevin Durant with big lines (34 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) miss the cut. That’s life.

Third Star: Monta Ellis(21 points; 14 in second half, 8 in fourth quarter)

It was kind of a classic Monta Ellis game — not very efficient (21 points on 18 shots) but he ended up making some plays that the Bucks needed in the fourth, when he hit three-of-four shots and had a key assist. Jennings had he better overall game, but credit Ellis for finding a way to work with that and play a key role in getting a win.

In the biggest game of the night the not-exactly-getting-younger Miller had a huge game on his 37th birthday. The Nuggets took charge of this game in the third quarter after Miller spoke to the team at halftime to fire them up. But in the fourth quarter you knew the Thunder’s run was coming. It did. But every time they made a push it seemed Miller hit a big shot. That included some key free throws. The Nuggets are a dangerous playoff team in part because of the damage their bench can do, and Miller is at the heart of that.

Sacramento is a good landing spot for Toney Douglas right now (I wouldn’t have traded Thomas Robinson for him and that package, but still). The Kings rely on Isaiah Thomas and Tyreke Evans as playmakers, but Douglas is a guy who can step into that role and do it well. Against the Clippers he was nailing right corner threes and other deep bombs against the clock. Douglas was also playing good defense on Chris Paul. It was an epic quarter for Douglas.

I would trade T-Rob away for this exact package every chance I got if I was Geoff Petrie. Not only did they get a stretch 4 that can space the floor, hit the 3 ball consistently, and compliment Demarcus Cousins nicely, they also got an upgrade at the backup center position with Cole Aldrich. No offense to Chuck Hayes but Cole Aldrich can actually contest shots, rebound well in limited minutes, and he runs the floor beautifully. Toney Douglas only sweetens the deal when you realize the Kings gave up an undeveloped player in Tyler Honeycutt, a small PG that isn’t known for his defense in Aaron Brooks, and an overpaid, aging SF in Francisco
Garcia. The Kings were 19-36 when they traded T-Rob & Co. They are 5-8 since the trade and have beat teams like the Chicago Bulls by 42 & the Clippers by 15. They’ve lost some heartbreakers since then, too. They lost to the Golden State Warriors by 4 and the Milwaukee Bucks by 2. The team is leading the league in scoring per game since that trade by the way. Houston is regretting making this trade as they continue to fall out of the playoff picture slowly but surely.